Hearing the sharp whistle of a blade cutting through the air behind him, the leader whipped around, his right hand darting inside his robes at the same instant.
He gripped the dark metal staff in less than a second, and the purple crystal at its tip was already starting to glow.
But Roger didn't give him the chance to finish casting. He activated Flash Step twice in rapid succession. The first closed the distance, and the second slipped him into the man's blind spot. Riding his momentum, the sword's edge slashed into the leader's neck.
The leader's eyes widened instantly. A choked gasp escaped his throat before he toppled backward, hitting the muddy ground with a dull thud.
When the system notification failed to sound immediately, Roger reversed his grip on the hilt and drove the blade straight into the leader's heart.
“Points +350. Total: 4,820.”
After confirming no one was around, Roger stored the corpse in his system inventory and retraced his steps to leave the outer city.
Back at his lodgings, he locked the doors and windows before heading down to the basement. Only then did he pull the body out of his inventory to search it.
From an inner pocket of the robes, he pulled out a leather wallet containing a dozen silver and copper coins. Roger put it straight into his inventory without a second glance.
Shortly after, he found a letter and a packet of Hallucinogenic Powder in a hidden pocket of the robes. The letter bore no recipient name or address, containing only a few paragraphs:
“There is no need to rush expansion in the slums; our current manpower is sufficient for now. As long as you distribute the Hallucinogenic Powder regularly, they will obediently serve the cult. Giving the enhancer to those who cannot even survive the advancement ceremony is a waste.”
“Additionally, the saboteur who stole the vessel and the Trace Tracker is still missing. Whether or not he has slipped into the royal capital, you must remain vigilant. If you spot any suspicious individuals, do not act on your own. Report it immediately.”
Confirming there was nothing else on the body, Roger recycled the staff.
“Points +800. Total: 5,620.”
“Another one where the gear is worth more than the person...”
Roger was starting to get used to the system's unpredictable pricing. He put the corpse back into his system inventory. Seeing that it was still early, he returned to his room to organize the intelligence he had gathered today.
The infiltration network in the slums was confirmed to exist, and its operational model was mostly clear.
The Hallucinogenic Powder was the method for controlling low-level believers, the advancement ceremony was the mechanism for filtering out valuable individuals, and the multi-level recruitment structure was responsible for continuous expansion.
The ritual's leader occupied a lower-middle position in the chain of command, responsible for hands-on execution, yet capable of receiving written instructions directly from his superiors.
Once they noticed his disappearance, the cult would surely react. However, their chain of command was deliberately designed with information asymmetry between levels. It would take them at least a few days to figure out who killed him.
Roger glanced at the early hour, then checked the remaining duration on his Mask of a Thousand Faces.
With about two hours left on the mask, he decided not to head out again. Instead, he took out his Fine Steel Sword and rune engraving stylus, using the runic knowledge in his mind to engrave a rune onto the blade.
As the final stroke fell, the entire rune glowed faintly.
Roger coated the rune with his vial of mana potion. Once it dried naturally, he used Appraisal on the Fine Steel Sword:
【Name: Fine Steel Rune Sword
Quality: Fine
Description: A Fine Steel Sword engraved with a "Sharpness" rune. Its sharpness and durability are superior to unenchanted blades of the same material. The rune structure is a single-layer basic circuit with no additional enchantment effects.
Recycle Value: 950 points】
Roger opened his status panel to take a look. The experience bar for 【Rune Specialization】 had also risen by a noticeable margin.
...
First thing the next morning, Roger went to a blacksmith shop in the city to buy a shovel. He then passed through the royal capital's east gate and made his way to an untended grove in the outskirts.
Finding a patch of soft soil, he dug a pit several meters deep just as he had done before. He tossed both corpses from his inventory into the pit and cast a fireball.
Once the bodies were burned beyond recognition, Roger filled the pit with dirt and weighed it down with several large stones.
Having finished this, he didn't return to the royal capital immediately. Instead, he gathered some medicinal herbs in the woods and hunted a few monsters along the way, bringing his points to exactly six thousand before heading back to the capital before noon.
In the afternoon, he put on the Mask of a Thousand Faces and went to the Alchemist Association under the identity of Gerald.
Roger waited in the hall for a short while before spotting Vice President Pepis, who was currently giving instructions to a receptionist. He stepped forward and bowed politely:
“Vice President Pepis.”
The Vice President turned around. Seeing it was Roger, a smile creased his graying beard. “Good afternoon, Mr. Gerald. How did that extraction experiment go after you went back last time?”
“It went quite smoothly. I adjusted the catalyst ratio based on the proportions you wrote down, and the extraction efficiency improved significantly.”
Roger pulled a small glass vial from his belt pouch, containing a few milliliters of pale green liquid.
This was an extract he had made using the little time he had at noon. Its quality wasn't particularly high, but it was enough to prove that he was indeed a hardworking alchemist.
Pepis took the small vial, held it up to his eyes to examine it closely for a moment, and then handed it back to Roger:
“The color is slightly cloudy; you probably didn't control the temperature well during filtration. Still, for someone at your stage, it's already quite impressive.”
Roger slipped the vial back into his pouch and took the opportunity to say:
“Actually, I ran into some issues while researching a formula over the last couple of days. I need a few uncommon materials that aren't in stock at any of the shops in the city. I was hoping to ask if you knew of any reliable channels.”
Pepis asked, “What materials? Let's hear it.”
Roger listed several materials, all of which were essential components of the purple crystal formula. He didn't mention the purple crystal directly, choosing instead to list the ingredients separately.
Individually, each material appeared to be a common mineral or herb. Only when combined in specific proportions would their true purpose be revealed.
If Pepis were merely an ordinary alchemist, he wouldn't associate anything with these individual materials. However, if he was also in the know, his reaction would give him away.
After listening, Pepis stroked his braided beard, his expression entirely normal:
“The first few should be available at the material shops in the city, though prices for ore materials have been rising lately, so you might have to pay a bit more. As for the last two...”
“They are indeed quite rare. I used them once for an experiment, and even then, I borrowed them from President Dulles. If you're in a hurry, I can help you reach out to him, but you might have to wait a few days. He has been in seclusion at home lately.”
“Then I will trouble you with that,” Roger thanked him, then smoothly steered the conversation in another direction.
“By the way, you mentioned Count Augus's gatherings last time. Are there any upcoming ones? I've been cooped up in the workshop doing experiments ever since I arrived in the capital, and I'd like to take this opportunity to meet some people.”
“Then you've asked at the perfect time.” Pepis smiled. “The invitation from Count Augus's estate arrived just last night. It's scheduled for the evening after tomorrow, at the same place as last time—his private residence.”
“The invitation states that guests may bring a companion. I originally planned to bring one of my apprentices, but he told me yesterday that he had an urgent family matter and needed to head back home.”
“If you're interested, you can come with me. With your familiarity with materials science, you should be able to make quite a few useful friends at the gathering.”
“Thank you so much, then,” Roger readily accepted.
He chatted with Pepis in the association hall for a bit longer about the technicalities of extraction processes, then took his leave under the pretext of returning to prepare materials for his experiments.
After changing his appearance in an empty corner and slipping into a homespun shirt, Roger walked toward the royal capital's central plaza.
Passing through several of the busiest main streets in the inner city, he stopped across from a standalone stone building.
The building was significantly taller than the surrounding estates, its spire bearing a crest of a crossed sun and holy sword. Several paladins in silver-white armor stood guard on either side of the entrance.
Roger stood across the street for a moment, organizing what he was about to say, before crossing the street and walking toward the main entrance.
The paladins at the door turned their gazes toward him as he approached, but they did not stop him.
He stepped into the foyer, where a deacon dressed in off-white robes came forward, asking in a calm tone, “May the Holy Light bless you. How may the Church assist you today?”
“I want to report cultist activity,” Roger said, getting straight to the point while feigning devotion.
Rate on N.U.
